


these broken pieces

by mauvepens



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-12
Updated: 2020-12-12
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:20:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,023
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28023081
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mauvepens/pseuds/mauvepens
Summary: What's the etiquette for talking to your best friend/kinda crush about the mother they think they killed?
Relationships: Jason Grace & Leo Valdez, Jason Grace/Leo Valdez
Comments: 4
Kudos: 49





	these broken pieces

Jason likes to think that he knows Leo. God knows he spends enough time staring at him. 

But then sometimes he's reminded that as much as Leo shares, everything important about him is swaddled under a blanket of jokes and cover-ups. 

Jason has seen the way Leo flinches if people get too close, how he sometimes gazes into the distance with a agonized look on his face. Jason could probably tell you around three or four pieces of information about Leo's past, which is definitely disproportionate to the six months he's known him. 

On the Argo II, Leo is like a weirdly upbeat ghost. Jason is at least 90% certain that Leo has barely slept or ate the entire time they've been on the ship, working himself to the bone. Another reason that Leo could be considered a ghost is his general scarcity. He only ever shows up for mealtimes and when it's his turn for watch, instead preferring to bang away in the engine room all the time. 

One day, Leo just doesn't come out at all. He's not in the mess hall at breakfast or lunch, and whenever someone comes down to try to check on him, the engine room is locked. When Jason goes himself, wondering at Leos' absence, he only gets a cheery voice shouting through the heavy wood door saying he'll come out later.

After his shift that night, Jason trudges back to his cabin completely exhausted. As he passes the engine room, he notices that the light is still on inside-and what is that noise? It sounds almost like quiet sobs, but why would Leo be crying? 

Jason draws closer to the door and knocks.

"Leo? You good?" He immediately hears a sharp intake of breath, and Leo calls out in a voice that sounds like it's trying hard not to waver. 

"Yeah, I'm completely fine. You should probably go to sleep, it's getting late".

Jason snorts under his breath. Utter hypocrisy. 

"I'm serious, Leo. You sound upset". 

This time, when Leo responds his voice is tinged with an edge of anger. "Jase, I swear there's nothing wrong with me. Go away". 

Sadly, some of Leo's stubborn tendencies have rubbed off on Jason lately, and he's not about to leave before he finds out what's wrong with Leo. There obviously is something up, and he wants to know why Leo has been crying. The only time Jason has seen Leo cry was when Festus died, and it wasn't something he wants to experience again.

"Leo, I swear I'm going to break this door down. You haven't been outside all day, and you're crying". Leo, as per usual, doesn't answer. Jason bends down to examine the hinges. A jolt of electricity-and boom, the door is now lying flat on the ground, giving him a full view of Leo. 

Leo looks _terrible_. His face is covered in tears, it's obvious he's been crying for a long time. He's tucked into a corner of the engine room, looking absolutely tiny. Jason usually doesn't notice quite how small Leo is, but now he looks almost fragile, like if you pushed him over he would break. 

Leo keeps his head buried safely in his knees, blatantly ignoring Jason as if that'll make him go away. Jason lumbers over and sits down next to Leo, waiting for him to talk. 

Looking around, Jason notices a picture lying on the ground, the edges of it burnt and crumbled. He picks it up gingerly, not wanting to cause any damage and immediately sucks in a sharp breath. 

The picture shows a woman with wild hair and a mischievous slant to her smile holding a small boy with the same hair and dark eyes. The boy looks purely happy, an expression on his face that Jason has never seen on Leo. 

"Leo..." Jason isn't sure what to say. What's the etiquette for talking to your best friend/kinda crush about the mother they think they killed?

Leo looks up, and the expression on his face breaks Jason's heart. "It was today," he says it in such a soft voice that Jason can barely hear him. "I killed her today".

Jason's only response to that is to open up his arms and let Leo fall into them. He whispers soft assurances into the fluffy mess of hair and listens to Leo's stifled cries.

After a while the sobs subside, and Leo tries his best to pull away from Jason. Jason only tightens his hold and tips Leo's chin upward.

"Leo, you didn't kill your mother," Jason talks with a firm set to his jaw, trying to put on an unruffled expression. "No one blames you except for your shitty relatives". 

Leo looks like he's about to disagree, but shuts his mouth instead. He instead lies back on Jason, his face resting comfortably against Jason's shoulder. 

Even with tear-streaks running down his face, Leo looks so beautiful. Jason is of the opinion that Leo looks beautiful no matter what he's doing, and this is no exception. Jason could happily live his life getting lost in Leo's enormous eyes, ever-changing with emotion. 

Jason silently curses himself. He doesn't even know if Leo likes guys. Jason gets lost in thought for so long that when he snaps back to attention, Leo is asleep. Carefully, as to not wake him up, Jason hooks an arm around Leo's knees and lifts him up. As Jason walks, a deep blush grows on his neck as he realizes he's basically holding Leo in a bridal carry. 

Jason peeks his head into Leo's cabin and immediately realizes that this isn't a proper place for Leo to sleep, considering the bed is covered with random engine parts and blueprints. Running through his options, Jason quickly realizes that the only location left for Leo is his own bed. 

He tiptoes through the ship, careful not to wake up anyone else. Jason gently lays Leo down under the sheets, watching the way Leo's long eyelashes flutter against his brown skin. 

Jason stretches out on the floor and falls asleep, thoughts of black curls and laughter filling his head.

**Author's Note:**

> Listen, I'm not entirely sure if this even makes sense, and I kinda hate the ending. I tried.


End file.
